Not Quite Prince Charming
by inufan424
Summary: AU. Based on the Grimm Brother's Snow White, with a few twists. Kagome is the princess-turned-servant that escapes a jealous queen. She awaits rescue by Prince Charming, but that's not quite what she gets. A story told in drabbles and one-shots.
1. Chiffon

**Summary: **AU. My take on a little story known as Snow White, with a twist, of course. It will be inspired mostly by the Grimm brothers. Kagome is the unsuspecting damsel who goes to live with a rather curious crowd of characters to protect herself from the Queen. She is awaiting her Prince Charming to save her, as any princess should. A love story with a touch of humor.

**A little note of explanation:** I've been inspired, friends. Been reading a lot of stories that are in drabble and one-shot format. Meaning every chapter is like its own story within the story, and I am in love with the way it lays the story out. So here's my attempt! Also, I apologize if aspects from the Disney movie pop up. I've seen it a million times and it's hard to escape the part of my brain dedicated to Disney movies.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the rights or responsibilities of the characters. I must credit Rumiko Takahashi for her lovely creations.

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><p><em>Part I: The Castle<em>

**Chapter 1: Chiffon**

Kagome huffed as she moved her pin-pricked fingers along the hem of the Queen's new gown. Kagome was the only seamstress the Queen trusted to touch her fine gowns. Layers of smooth, lavender chiffon draped over the Queen's voluminous curves. Kagome straightened her aching spine and adjusted a sleeve of the dress, pausing to contemplate whether it was appropriate for a queen to show so much cleavage.

"Well?" the Queen drawled in a tone that suggested annoyance at Kagome's very presence.

Kagome bowed her head and murmured, "You look perfect, my Queen, as always."

The Queen's lips twitched in satisfaction. Kagome actually wanted to say that she looked like a big purple cow, but she felt it would not bode well. She pressed her lips together.

"You may go," the Queen said, waving a dismissive hand.

As Kagome shut the door to the Queen's chambers behind her, she allowed herself a smile. Oh, how the Queen looked ridiculous in all her brightly colored get-ups. People of the castle didn't dare say a thing, however, as it was suspected the Queen practiced witchcraft in her free hours.

On her way to the kitchens, Kagome passed the royal huntsman, who eyed her warily as she ambled by, still wearing her goofy grin. He shook his head at the strange servant and continued to his summons by the Queen.

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><p><strong>Prompt:<strong> New  
><strong>Words:<strong> 226


	2. Muslin

****Disclaimer:** **I do not own the rights or responsibilities of the characters. I must credit Rumiko Takahashi for her lovely creations.

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><p><strong>Chapter 2: Muslin<strong>

Inuyasha didn't bother to hide his scowl from the Queen. She watched him with a pleased gleam in her eye.

He'd known there were odd circumstances within the court before, but he had never wished to know what they _were_. But he could never decline a request from his Queen, and it had been in her interest to tell him of her family…situation.

"This is not part of my duty here," he told her, uselessly. He knew there was no arguing her demand.

A triumphant smirk was on her lips. She knew she would get her way, as always.

Inuyasha eyed the ovular shape mounted on the wall that he knew to be a mirror, covered in a simple length of muslin. He knew the mirror was enchanted, as the Queen often felt it necessary to share her darkest secrets with the handsome huntsman. He suspected she fancied him, and entertained ideas of a forbidden love blooming between them. The Queen and the Huntsman: A tragic love story, involving passionate trysts and broken hearts.

He suppressed a disgusted look and walked to her, accepting the plain box she offered. Tucking it discreetly under his arm, he turned to leave.

"Don't forget, Inuyasha," she purred. "Bring back her heart."

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><p><strong>Prompt:<strong> Broken  
><strong>Words:<strong> 208


	3. Flannel

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the rights or responsibilities of the characters. I must credit Rumiko Takahashi for her lovely creations.

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><p><strong>Chapter 3:<strong> Flannel

There was a room in the castle, one that had long been ignored but had always been loved. It had been decorated to fit the needs of a young girl; soft pinks and regal purples and sunny yellows and blazing oranges and every other color of the rainbow that the young girl had seen fit to place there.

A growing layer of dust now coated that room, dulled its colors, smothered its childish hope.

But it was not abandoned. For despite its imperiously locked mahogany door, there was a secret entrance that only the young girl had known about. And during the quietest hours of the quietest days, that young girl, now half grown, stole through the secret entrance and found a sad comfort in the lonely room.

She coddled a long-loved doll that had a dozen different dresses made of the softest flannel, and let just one tear slide down her cheek, soaked up by the doll to be forever hidden.

And then she carefully crept out, shutting the door on a past and a future.

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><p><strong>Prompt:<strong> Hope  
><strong>Words:<strong> 177


	4. Gingham

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the rights or responsibilities of the characters. I must credit Rumiko Takahashi for her lovely creations.

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><p><strong>Chapter 4:<strong> Gingham

In a lodge set apart from the castle, in a room with no windows, a young but experienced huntsman paced his small office. Though he tried valiantly not to, it was hard to keep his feverish glare from the plain box sitting atop his desk. It mocked him and reminded him of what he must do for his queen.

His desk was an interesting sight for a huntsman's. He allowed chaos to consume it; maps and tracking charts, quills and ink splatters, intricate blueprints and charts of stars, and finally the Queen's box were strewn all across a worn and stained gingham tablecloth.

Somehow, the little box had managed to find a clearing right in the center of the table. No other item managed to lean on it or attempted to stain its pristine crème-colored surface.

Inuyasha had not yet tried to open the cursed thing. He had paranoia thrumming through his senses. He rarely trusted anything that was given to him directly from the Queen's hands. She was a witch—literally _and_ figuratively, he thought with a smirk—and therefore could not be trusted, in his mind.

Finally, he let out a frustrated growl and stopped his pacing. Squaring his shoulders, he marched right up to that box, determined not to allow the Queen to have such an effect on him.

He reached out one finger and, allowing only his freshly-trimmed claw to make contact with the latch, flipped the box open.

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><p><strong>Prompt:<strong> Quills  
><strong>Words:<strong> 243


	5. Paisley

**Note:** Sorry this took so long! I've been busy working lately, haven't had the energy to do any writing.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the rights or responsibilities of the characters. I must credit Rumiko Takahashi for her lovely creations.

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><p><strong>Chapter 5:<strong> Paisley

Kagome merrily skipped down the halls of the castle and turned corner after corner, the woven basket in her hand swinging. Her light cloak was lifted up behind her as she stepped out into the fresh spring air.

The Queen had granted her the reprieve of collecting flowers from the fields about half a mile away from the castle. She desired the newly sprouted tulips, daffodils, and hyacinths to decorate her great hall. Kagome suspected the Queen really just wanted Kagome to be out of the way for a while, but she certainly wasn't going to object to a day outside the castle for a change.

She was told she must bring the huntsman with her, because animals—namely bears—would be out after their long hibernations and Kagome must have defense should they not be feeling friendly this morning.

Kagome inhaled deeply before setting her sights on the small cabin situated just outside the castle. She hoped the huntsman had not left his small home yet, or else her trip would be further delayed.

However, she saw a bit of movement at one of the windows, very briefly, and couldn't suppress the smile that spread her lips. Carefully resituating the paisley cloth that lined her basket, she strolled up the path and raised a hand to knock.

As her fist fell forward, it met air. Staring down at her and blocking the doorway was Inuyasha, the huntsman, and she paled as she realized he held a nasty glare for her.

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><p><strong>Prompt:<strong> Doorway  
><strong>Words:<strong> 251


	6. Leather

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the rights or responsibilities of the characters. I must credit Rumiko Takahashi for her lovely creations.

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><p><strong>Chapter 6:<strong> Leather

Kagome, surprised, jerked her hand away and took a step back.

"H-Hello, Huntsman," she stammered, and cursed herself.

He inclined his head in reply. _A man of many words_, Kagome thought wryly.

When the silence stretched, Kagome cleared her throat awkwardly. "I, um…I was told you had to come with me—I'm going to the fields to collect blooms for the Queen and…"

She trailed off, unable to concentrate on her thoughts as his hard features continued to glower down at her.

Suddenly, as is the nature of mood changes, Kagome was indignant. _What right does _he_ have to look down on me like I'm some bug stuck to his shoe?_

"Look," she snapped, "I was ordered to go for the Queen, and since they told me to bring you, that means—"

"You talk too much," he interrupted, his voice a deep rumble. Kagome realized she couldn't remember another time when she'd actually heard the huntsman speak, and she paused to marvel at the moment.

But as his words sunk in, her annoyance returned.

"Oh, really? Well…" She frowned at him. "You don't talk _enough_."

He shrugged and returned her frown with a smirk as if to say '_And what are _you_ gonna do about it?_'

She narrowed her gray eyes at him and demanded, "Are you coming or not?"

He disappeared into his cabin, the door swinging wide. Before Kagome finished her debate of whether she was supposed to follow him, he was back, sword and bow in hand. He closed and locked the door behind him, bumping her out of the way in the process.

Kagome stumbled a couple steps to avoid having her face shoved into his back, but caught a whiff of leather, soap, and something else she couldn't quite place. She filed the information away for future thought.

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><p><strong>Prompt:<strong> Leather  
><strong>Words:<strong> 304


	7. Velvet

****Disclaimer:** **I do not own the rights or responsibilities of the characters. I must credit Rumiko Takahashi for her lovely creations.

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><p><strong>Chapter 7:<strong> Velvet

Inuyasha was angrier than he had ever been. He wished he could yell and pull his hair out and stomp his feet like a child, but the maid he walked with might think he'd gone mental and tell the Queen, and then where would he be?

He couldn't believe the Queen had set it up this way. He thought _he_ was a pretty impatient guy—except when he was hunting—but to make him do this not two weeks after she'd given the order? It was rude, it was pompous, and it was _pushy_.

He'd known it was time as soon as he'd seen the girl wandering towards his house. He had been ready to kill the girl right then and there, but then she'd told her little story and he realized how the Queen wanted it done.

The box had been empty on the bottom, but inlaid on the underside of the lid was a painfully gaudy dagger, the golden hilt set with sparkling rubies, nestled into folds of indigo-dyed velvet.

After he'd regained his senses, he'd run back into the house and shoved the Queen's box in his satchel before returning to the girl. He hated how innocent she'd acted, yelling at him and crossing her arms childishly. It would just make killing her that much more difficult. She was so young…

He put the brakes on the thought before it could eat him up. The box, hidden at the very bottom of his satchel below odds and ends that he always carried with him, already felt like it weighed a hundred pounds.

He nearly froze up in sheer panic when he saw the girl glance curiously at the bag, as if she hadn't noticed it before. But then she pranced on ahead of him, and he let out a huge breath and tightened his grip on the bag.

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><p><strong>Prompt:<strong> Pain  
><strong>Words:<strong> 310


	8. Satin

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the rights or responsibilities of the characters. I must credit Rumiko Takahashi for her lovely creations.

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><p><strong>Chapter 8:<strong> Satin

Kagome took one last glance back at her silent companion before dropping her basket and prancing across the vast field to the small stream. She tested the cool water with a bare foot before allowing her feet to curl into the soft earth at the bottom. A small smile lit up her face.

Once her feet had relaxed from the many days she'd had to wear her cramped shoes around the castle, she ambled back to where Inuyasha had taken up post next to her abandoned basket. He had his head turned away sagely, his eyes darting through the darkness of the trees that lined one side of the field.

As she walked she allowed her fingers to trail across the tall grass that grew along the stream's edge. She bent to pluck a bright red poppy and caressed the satiny petals before moving to place it in her basket. She tried to smile at Inuyasha, but he easily ignored her.

She puzzled over the almost pained expression he wore before returning to finding the best of blooms to cut and add to her collection. She was warmed by the sun, blazing a path high above them now in the early afternoon, when the wind seemed to shift strangely and she paused.

Turning, she swallowed a screech at finding Inuyasha standing behind her, his eyes darkened and blank and focused just below her face.

"I-Inuyasha?" she inquired uncertainly.

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><p><strong>Prompt:<strong> Test  
><strong>Words:<strong> 238


	9. Cotton

****Disclaimer:** **I do not own the rights or responsibilities of the characters. I must credit Rumiko Takahashi for her lovely creations.

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><p><strong>Chapter 9:<strong> Cotton

Inuyasha renewed his grip on the knife he held in his right hand, partially obscured behind his leg. He had to do it. He was so close to her; he knew he had her trapped. Anywhere she tried to run, he would be able to pounce before she made two steps.

She still hadn't figured it out yet. He allowed his eyes to move from the collar of her dress and he finally met her gaze. If he was going to do this, she at least deserved to be looked in the eyes by her would-be killer. He drank in her appearance, the way her hair was tousled out of its plait and her nose was pinked by the unforgiving sun and her straight teeth worried her bottom lip as she looked at him nervously.

And the way her wide blue eyes beckoned him to tell her what was in his mind.

Suddenly, his mouth went dry and his tongue felt like cotton.

_Can I really end the life of this girl who has done nothing wrong but to have been born of the wrong woman?_

Inuyasha ground his teeth together, the muscles in his jaw jumping. Kagome sensed his anger and she took a step back. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he encouraged her to turn away so that this would be an easier task. So that he wouldn't have to see the confusion and betrayal in her eyes as she died.

But she didn't, of course. She continued to stare at him with those big doe-eyes of hers and he finally raised his knife to show her what was going to happen.

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><p><strong>Prompt:<strong> Drink  
><strong>Words:<strong> 276


	10. Burlap

**Notes:**I've decided to make every tenth chapter closer to a thousand words instead of just a couple hundred. Okay? Okay.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the rights or responsibilities of the characters. I must credit Rumiko Takahashi for her lovely creations.

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><p><strong>Chapter 10:<strong> Burlap

The knife glinted in the sun. Kagome stared, wide eyed, at the man before her, suddenly transformed by his deadly intentions.

"What's going on?" she questioned shakily, although she felt she knew the answer.

He pressed his lips together and his fingers flexed on the hilt. He lowered his head and his eyes seemed to glow as he glared at her from the shadow of his hair. Kagome swallowed and took a step back, but her foot caught on a stone wedged in the dirt and she fell, pain shooting up her spine from her tailbone. Her basket of flowers dropped beside her, scattering a rainbow of colors around her. The red poppy fell on her lap.

He stepped forward and loomed over her. As she watched him tense his muscles, the way she imagined he would before killing an animal for the Queen's table, she let out a strangled cry.

"Why?" she sobbed. She threw her arms in front of her face and squeezed her eyes shut.

When no pain was forthcoming, she opened one eye and saw the Huntsman had paused. He seemed frozen in his spot, and she thought she noticed the slightest tremble in his raised hand.

He lowered his head once again, this time so that his long hair curtained his face from view. She watched his hand, watched as his knuckles turned white.

"Why?" he repeated, a humorless laugh following. "Because the Queen demands your heart."

Horror rushed through Kagome and everything fell into place. Her own stepmother—_she_ had planned Kagome's assassination?

"Well just do it then!" she spat at him. He jerked his head up to meet her angry glare. "Get it over with and go running back to your precious _queen_ like the good little puppy you are."

He narrowed his eyes at her malicious joke. One of his ears twitched at the top of his head as a reminder that he was not fully human. Kagome defiantly met his dangerous gaze.

Suddenly, her eyes softened. She gave him a pleading look. "You don't have to do everything she says, you know."

"It is my duty," he said, strained, "to serve my Queen."

She looked at him with pity and he hated her for it. "What kind of queen would make you murder her own daughter—or stepdaughter—in cold blood?"

Silence answered her and stretched for so long she couldn't tell if it had been hours or only minutes. And what ended the silence was the thump of a ruby-hilted dagger landing at her feet, and the Huntsman collapsing to his knees.

"I can't do it," she heard him mumble into his hands. She thought it sounded more like he was speaking to himself than to her. "I can't kill her."

"That's a good thing," she told him quietly.

He whipped his head up and stared at her incredulously. "Good? You think this is _good_?"

She spluttered for a response, but he continued.

"You think this is the only time I've killed someone?" He chuckled cruelly. "Let's just say you're experiencing a first with me."

"But—but how could you _do_ that?" she whispered. "It's so…horrible."

He smirked at her, his pervious anguish at his failure forgotten. "Well, call me whatever you want, honey, but it's the truth."

"Don't call me that," she snapped.

He scowled at her as his dark mood returned. "I suggest you start running. You'll want a head start once the Queen realizes you're not dead."

"What?" she said, confused.

He gave her an impatient look. "What, you think you can waltz back into the castle and continue on with your pathetic little life? Ain't happening, wench."

"I don't understand," she told him in a small voice. "Will I ever be able to go back?"

"The only way the Queen would let you back within her walls is if you were stiff, cold, and dead," he told her bluntly. "As it were, I still need to find a heart to bring back to her, and if you don't get smart and _leave_ soon, it may still be yours."

She scrambled to her feet, picking up her fallen basket. She left the flowers scattered at her feet. She turned away, then stopped. She looked at the Huntsman with shiny eyes.

"But…where will I go?" she whimpered as the scary realization crept up on her that she no longer had a safe home to return to.

"The woods would be best," he replied gruffly. He opened his burlap bag and tossed her a bag of small food rations and a canteen. "Now _go_!"

She clutched the small bag tightly and watched as the Huntsman walked back toward the direction of the castle. She wondered how he would trick the Queen.

As he disappeared over the side of a hill, into the sunlight, she whispered, "Goodbye, Inuyasha."

She took a deep breath to gather her courage and turned towards the dark trees. She took a few steps towards the forest and terror suddenly seized her that she would be caught if she didn't move faster. She broke into a run and the sunlight was cut off by the thick canopy.

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><p><strong>Prompt:<strong> Anger  
><strong>Words:<strong> 861


	11. Dirt

**Notes:** Wow. Um. Sorry about that long wait. I guess my only excuse is that I do, in fact, have a life, especially since I'm on summer break. But at least my ideas for this story had extra time to finalize. So, anyway…here you go!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the rights or responsibilities of the characters. I must credit Rumiko Takahashi for her lovely creations.

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><p><em>Part II: The Forest<em>

**Chapter 11: Dirt**

Slowing her fast pace to catch her breath, Kagome drifted through the forest as if in a dream. She knew she was good and lost, but the horror of her situation still seemed distant and unreal.

That is, of course, until she tripped over a fallen branch. She threw her arms out to catch herself and sent the bag flying. Her fingers curled into the soft dirt and she carefully sat up. Her trance broken, she took in the distant sounds that could only be made by animals, the deep gray of the fast-darkening sky, and the way the trees seemed to reach for her menacingly.

She stifled a cry and got up, almost panicking as she searched for her small sack of food. She grasped it tightly in her dirtied hands and pulled her cape tighter around her shoulders.

She tensed when she heard the cracking of a stick somewhere nearby. And then another. She wasn't sure if her mind was playing tricks on her, but she sure as hell wasn't going to stick around to find out.

She resumed her quick pace, seeing the forest with new eyes now that she felt like she was being pursued. She tripped and stumbled and tore her way through the trees, hoping she was still going straight into the forest and not back towards the kingdom. Low-hanging tree branches grabbed at her clothing and ripped her cape ragged.

Finally, in her last moment of inattention to her path, her foot caught on a rock and she fell once again. It happened so quickly she didn't have time to react. Her head thudded hard against the gravelly terrain and Kagome's world went black.

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><p><strong>Prompt:<strong> Dream  
><strong>Words:<strong> 281


	12. Fern

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the rights or responsibilities of the characters. I must credit Rumiko Takahashi for her lovely creations.

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><p><strong>Chapter 12: Fern<strong>

Kagome's eyes opened slowly. Her head ached dully. Trying to right herself, she winced at the head rush and held her head gingerly in her palms in an attempt to make the world stop spinning.

Glancing around, Kagome was momentarily puzzled as she tried to recall her whereabouts. _How had she ended up outside?_

Inuyasha and his glimmering knife flashed in her mind, followed by him falling to the ground in defeat. She would now admit—though not aloud—that she had been scared out her mind when she thought she was going to die that painful death in the field, so far from her home—the castle.

But then she remembered. The Queen was behind all of this. She had wanted Kagome dead, sending Inuyasha to do her dirty work. She vaguely wondered how in the world Inuyasha had ended up working for the Queen. He didn't seem to particularly care for the woman.

The words haunted her: _"Because the Queen demands your heart."_

What did that mean? Did she literally want Kagome's heart, straight and bloody from her chest? The thought made Kagome's stomach churn dangerously. She didn't know how Inuyasha could have agreed to do something so gruesome.

Standing up and brushing off her tattered clothing, she had to wade through some tall leafy ferns to recover her dropped belongings. She once again prepared herself to trudge through this forest of hazards, warily eyeing the dark sky.

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><p><strong>Prompt:<strong> Puzzle  
><strong>Words:<strong> 240


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